CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- A woman working at a medical office was sexually assaulted and choked by an attacker at Central Medical Plaza before a fire broke out at the building, police said Tuesday.
The male attacker -- a stranger who didn't have an appointment -- entered a medical suite at Central Medical Plaza about 5:20 p.m. Monday and demanded prescription drugs from an employee there, police said.
When the female worker told the man that the office didn't have prescription drugs, he "became enraged and began physically attacking" her, according to Coral Springs police spokesman Lt. Joe McHugh. "During the attack, the male sexually assaulted and choked the female employee before she lost consciousness."
It was not yet determined whether the attacker set the fire that broke out inside the plaza at 9750 NW 33rd St. The cause of the fire, labeled suspicious by authorities, remains under investigation.
The woman was taken to Broward Health Coral Springs, where she was listed in serious condition, police said. "She does have some burns to her lungs and mouth," McHugh said.
As the fire happened at 5:38 p.m. Monday, firefighters and police evacuated everyone out of Central Medical Plaza, McHugh said. A large amount of smoke was billowing from the building's southwest side.
Firefighters scoured the building and found the female victim inside a medical suite, situated in the southwest section of the building, McHugh said.
Firefighters found the woman, who was unresponsive, while the building was engulfed in flames, McHugh said. Firefighters took her outside the building, then treated her for smoke inhalation, he said. She regained consciousness after she was given oxygen by personnel, McHugh said.
Firefighters "saved her life," McHugh said.
The woman's attacker, who remains at large, is described as Middle Eastern or Hispanic, in his mid- to late-20s, with a thin build, dark hair, dark eyes and neatly groomed eyebrows, police said. He wore a dark T-shirt and blue jeans, police said.
Central Medical Plaza, normally occupied by doctors and patients, remained closed Tuesday. As potential visitors drove up to the cordoned-off building, they were turned away by officers. "It's closed all day," an officer explained to one visitor.
The building manager, Gary Caplan, also visited the building Tuesday. He said he was unsure when the property would be reopened. "It is our desire for it to be open as soon as possible for doctors and patients," Caplan said.
Answering-machine messages at some doctors' offices were updated Tuesday to address the building closure. Through the messages, medical staffs apologized for the closure -- even though it was out of their control -- and said appointments would need to be rescheduled.
Central Medical Plaza, a multi-story building, is a block south of West Sample Road just west of Coral Hills Drive. It is less than a block away from Broward Health Coral Springs, formerly known as Coral Springs Medical Center.
Anyone with information about the sexual assault may call Coral Springs police Detective Jeff Payne at 954-346-1757.
Copyright 2012 - Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
